This week the mobile enterprise reports on how information overload affects the mobile workforce.

Pros, Cons of Curating a Digital Identity

According to the new The Digital Lifestyle survey by Magnify.net, more of us are more connected to the web than ever before. Of those surveyed, 48.5% said that they were connected to the web "from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed."

During that time, there is a lot of information that flows in through a variety of channels. A majority of respondents (64.2%) said the information coming at them today had grown by more than 50% compared with last year. Real or not, the onslaught of information has created some obstacles for those surveyed. According to the report, people indicate that they are missing important news, information, and appointments, although they are plugged in more.

From a business perspective, survey participants overwhelmingly (76.8%) said that work requires them to be online. Additionally, to keep up with the increased amount of information, individuals are more inclined to check their email more often and find themselves working evenings and weekends to keep up.

Although this report makes us question the impact that the digital information overload is having, there is a bright spot. More users value the information they share and, as a result, 61.3% consider the content they share a part of who they are and 58.4% say that their friends on Facebook rely on them to share information. Say what you will what digital media is doing to our work/life balance, but people are engaged in social curation and see content publishing, linking and retweeting as a key part of their emerging digital identity.

A Fine Line Between Well-Managed, Overloaded Workforce

Some call it information overload, others call it a mobile workforce. Knowing how to manage it can help make users feel more empowered, instead of overwhelmed. Recently, the fifth annual Total Employee Mobility Benchmark Report, from Runzheimer International, an enterprise mobility vendor, revealed the biggest concerns and benefits of the mobile workforce, the significance of cost with a growing mobile workforce and the growth of mobile programs.

Despite feeling engulfed by information like the previous survey respondents, participants in this study indicated the biggest benefits of the mobile workforce are employee satisfaction. Additionally, most survey participants (72%) think their companies are effectively managing mobile workforce programs, but do not necessarily have measurement mechanisms in place.

Most survey participants (72%) believe their companies are effectively managing mobile workforce programs. 57% of the these same participants said they have not yet implemented, are unsure or are in the process of implementing formal, centralized processes that can be tracked or benchmarked over time.

Not surprisingly, the difference between having employees who feel overwhelmed and satisfied is that their organization has a formal process in place designed to manage, track or benchmark progress over time.